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December 2003 Events * "Sister Study" on Breast Cancer Seeks Participants and Recruiters Topic(s): Population Groups When: September 1, 2003朌ecember 31, 2013 Where: Tampa, FL; Providence, RI; Phoenix, AZ; St. Louis, MO Institute: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) The Sister Study will investigate the influence of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors on the risk of breast cancer and other diseases in the sisters of women with breast cancer. This research by NIEHS will enroll 50,000 women who live in the U.S. and who are the cancer-free sisters of women who have had breast cancer. This group of women will be followed for at least 10 years. The study is open now in four areas: Rhode Island; Phoenix Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) and the rest of Arizona; St. Louis SMSA and the rest of Missouri; and Tampa SMSA and the rest of Florida. The description SMSA is used because for some of these cities, the SMSA includes cities outside of the state. Women who are not in the current enrollment area can contact us to learn if they may be eligible when the study goes national in spring 2004. Next Steps To volunteer as participant or recruiter, women can go to our Web site at www.sisterstudy.org or call our toll-free at (877) 4-SISTER. * Environmental Health Concerns of Pacific Islanders Topic(s): Environmental Health When: February 14, 2004 Where: Ala Moana Hotel , Honolulu, HI Institute: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) This Regional Town Meeting on environmental health concerns of Pacific Islanders is part of a series of periodic meetings established by NIEHS Director Kenneth Olden, Ph.D., that focus on environmental impacts on human health. This meeting in Honolulu will be hosted by the Universities of Hawaii and Arizona. The town meetings are intended to bring together the lay public who are interested in public health and the environment, state and local health professionals, state and local government officials, academicians, environmental health professionals, and advocacy groups. The meetings, held in various U.S. locations, provide a platform for an open dialogue to establish better coordination among the health professionals working on community exposures, industrial exposures, special case "site" exposures, and other environmental issues. These meetings also promote local and state media coverage of environmental health issues and broaden public understanding. Next Steps Please contact John Schelp at (919) 541-5723 or schelp@niehs.nih.gov, or visit www.niehs.nih.gov/drcpt/tm/tndates.htm. * V I S I O N Traveling Exhibit in South Dakota Topic(s): Eyes and Vision When: September 14, 2003朖anuary 12, 2004 and January 31, 2004 Where: Pierre, SD; Sioux Falls, SD Institute: National Eye Institute (NEI) The NEI抯 VISION traveling exhibit continues its tour in South Dakota through May 2004. The 2,000-square-foot exhibit was developed as part of NEI抯 25th anniversary celebration. It illustrates how the eye and brain work together to create vision and how researchers are developing ways to protect our sight from visual disorders and diseases. The exhibit includes 10 interactive modules developed by the Exploratorium in San Francisco, CA. These modules demonstrate how the eye focuses light, how we perceive motion and color, and how the brain processes visual information into a meaningful picture.Since the exhibit tour was launched in 1993, VISION has visited science museums in 29 cities and drawn more than 5 million visitors. Next Steps Visit the exhibit at the South Dakota Discovery Center and Aquarium (www.sd-discovery.com) through January 12, 2004, then at the Kirby Science Discovery Center (www.washingtonpavilion.org/ScienceDiscoveryCenter/Index.cfm) from January 31 through May 16, 2004. Resources * Chiropractic and Low-Back Pain Topic(s): Complementary and Alternative Medicine Format: Fact Sheet Institute: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) NCCAM has developed a new fact sheet for consumers titled About Chiropractic and Its Use in Treating Low-Back Pain. It provides an in-depth look at chiropractic, its history, its present use, and scientific research on its safety and effectiveness. Next Steps The fact sheet is available on the NCCAM Web site at http://nccam.nci.nih.gov/health/chiropractic/index.htm. To order a copy call the NCCAM Information Clearinghouse toll-free at (888) 644-6226 or e-mail info@nccam.nih.gov. * New Web Site on the History of the Home Pregnancy Test Topic(s): Pregnancy and Reproduction, Women"s Health Format: Web Site Institute: Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL) An on-line exhibit marking the 25th anniversary of the commercial introduction of the home pregnancy test is now available on the Web. Visitors to the on-line exhibit can contribute to the site by anonymously relating their own experiences with home pregnancy tests. The exhibit, sponsored by the Office of NIH History, includes a historical timeline of pregnancy testing, portrayals of the pregnancy test in popular culture, and scientific background on the research that led to the development of the test. The site explains the science of reproductive endocrinology (or the study of hormones involved in reproduction). There's also a glossary of scientific terms. The home pregnancy test works by identifying the presence of the "pregnancy hormone," human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), in urine. Research that led to a sensitive, accurate test for hCG was done by scientists at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at NIH. The exhibit includes excerpts from interviews with two scientists whose work led to the development of the test. NIH is working with the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University to collect visitors' experiences with the home pregnancy test. Personal narratives will become part of the Web site exhibit, and all responses will be permanently archived for future students and scholars. Next Steps See the new site at www.history.nih.gov/exhibits/thinblueline. * Treating Hepatitis C With Complementary and Alternative Medicine Topic(s): Complementary and Alternative Medicine Format: Research Report Institute: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) Hepatitis C and Complementary and Alternative Medicine: 2003 Update answers some frequently asked questions on hepatitis C and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), reviews findings from scientific research on some dietary supplements that have been used as CAM treatments for hepatitis C (milk thistle, licorice root, ginseng, thymus extract, schisandra, and colloidal silver), and suggests sources for further information. Next Steps This report is available on NCCAM's Web site at http://nccam.nih.gov/health/hepatitisc/ or by contacting NCCAM's Information Clearinghouse at (888) 644-6226. Announcements * Research on Survivors of Suicide: Workshop Summary Topic(s): Mental Health and Behavior, Suicide When: May 13�, 2003 Where: Bethesda, MD Institute: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) More than 29,000 people in the United States die by suicide every year, leaving behind thousands of loved ones. Referred to as survivors of suicide, family and friends grieving a suicide death often struggle with their own feelings in relation to the loss as well as the stigma that suicide confers. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and NIMH brought together a panel of scientists and clinicians on May 13�, 2003, to participate in a workshop assessing existing research on suicide survivors, and to identify potential research areas so that survivors of suicide can be served effectively and appropriately. Workshop topics were selected after input from survivors of suicide. Next Steps Visit the NIMH's www.nimh.nih.gov/research/survivors.cfm for the workshop summary, with details on the six areas identified as significant gaps in research knowledge.